Philly Police will no longer respond to "minor motor vehicle accidents" beginning Monday May 3, 2010
Under a new Philadelphia Police Department policy, police will no respond to "minor" car accidents. The purpose is to save money and resources. But this is a very dangerous policy. For instance, who decides what is a minor car accident. (The directive from the Philadelphia Police Department website is anything but helpful). Is it the dispatcher who answers the phone when you call 911? What are the criteria for calling an accident minor? Is it the degree of impact? The amount of visible damage? What if there is damage that's not immediately apparent? What if the cars look ok but a tire is blown out or a wheel is damaged in such a way so that the car is not able to be driven from the scene?
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What's the degree of injury that will now require the police to go to the accident scene? Does someone need to be bleeding?
After 23 years of practicing law and handling thousands of car accident cases, and having been in car accidents myself, I know that people can sometimes act "not themselves" at accident scenes. It's the adrenaline I suppose. And no one wants to admit they did something wrong, like cause a car accident. Police certainly act as a buffer at accident scenes. They are necessary, even in minor accidents.
Will it now be more likely that drivers leave the scene of an accident? Sure it will.
What do you need to do now? First, make sure to get at least the license plate of the other driver at the scene. Certainly obtaining more thatn that on the other driver, like name, address, phone number, insurance company information is important. But with a tag number you can obtain the information you, your lawyer, and your insurance company will need from the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles. Second, report the accident to the police immediately and confirm in writing that it was reported. Go to the local police station if necessary. Most insurance polices require that the police be notified of an accident within 30 days of the accident in order to protect your right to uninsured motorist benefits. The reason is your insurance company has a right to investigate the case. So you have an obligation to protect their interests as well as your own. Third, make sure you have uninsured motorist benefits on your auto insurance policy. That way if the other driver leaves the accident scene, you have the right to make an uninsured motorist claim against your own carrier, because a driver that leaves the accident scene is defined as an uninsured motorist under Pennsylvania law.
